The next time he goes to the coffee shop, the last time he gets to do so before he goes home for the holidays, Raven's just finished topping a drink with whipped cream. She hands it to him instead of taking his order, and he dips his brow curiously. She clears her throat and stares at his shoulder. "Someone ordered a custom drink yesterday that I thought you might like."
Without breaking his gaze, he takes a small sip. It's sweet and creamy and absolutely delightful. The fact that Raven, who refuses to even use his name, got an order and thought of him, and was right about it on top? His heart lurches, and he bites his lip to try and contain a smile he knows would be embarrassingly smitten. "Might be my new go-to."
Hard to say for sure, but it looks like the corner of Raven's mouth twitches with a faint smile. "Unfortunately, it uses two different seasonal syrups. Enjoy it while you can."
"But I'm going to be out of town all month," he whines just as someone behind him coughs, and he realizes he's holding up a line now. He glances back and apologizes, reaching for his pocket to get his wallet. "How much do I owe you?" he directs to Raven.
Her lips press together, hesitant, eyes darting between him and the drink for just a moment like she's contemplating something. "On the house," she decides, expression cryptic as she steadies her gaze on him. "Happy holidays, Gavin."
This is progress. This is excellent progress. She's thinking about him when he's not there, she's wishing him happy holidays. It's almost like she actually considers him to be… a friend. The name thing is a work in progress, but he'll take it. "Happy holidays, Raven."
While he's at home, he misses that stupid drink she made him. Steve's actually nice to him the whole time for some reason, though, so he guesses that's not a bad trade off. Rita also tries to duplicate the drink off of his description. She doesn't even get close, and Uncle Larry makes fun of his crush on the barista. It's okay, though, because every time Larry mentions her, he gets that warm fuzzy feeling one might not expect someone as cold as her to invoke, but that he always gets regardless.
As soon as he drops his bags off after winter recess, he heads over to the coffee shop. It's quiet, two people sitting in adjacent arm chairs and no line to be seen. Raven glances up from where she's lazily buffing the counter with a blue cloth, grey lips curving in the smallest smile known to man. It stops him in his tracks. The way his pulse had picked up at seeing her through the windows for the first time in a month was enough to dizzy him, but that? It's small, but for Raven, it's significant.
She seems to notice what her mouth is doing and quickly forces it back into a straight line. Tossing the cloth to the side, she walks away from the counter and begins putting a drink together. She's the only employee in the shop at the moment, but there's probably one or two in the back somewhere. Gar makes his way to the counter, resting his fingers on the ledge and watching her work. Not once does she look at him until she presses a cap to the drink and walks it over.
She sets it in front of him, sliding it across the smooth surface of the counter she just wiped down. When he doesn't acknowledge it, she flicks her eyes up to meet his. Gar smiles, slow and pleased. "Hi, Raven."
Her jaw twists, lips scrunching into a crooked purse. "Grant."
His fingers slide until his palms are fully braced on the counter and he leans on them. It brings them closer together, but he makes sure there's still a comfortable distance between them. "Did you miss me?"
Raven regards him coolly over the curve of her cheekbones, chin tipped up defiantly. "Just your tips."
Although he was expecting something like that, his smile still turns sad. From the very beginning, he knew she'd probably never see him the way he saw her. For all he knew, she might not be able to. Some people don't find themselves ever dealing with romantic feelings. Not him, though. No, he had to throw his heart all in, for the second time in his life, for someone who never wanted it.
Gar nods shallowly, handing her a five for the drink and tip. "Fair enough. See you later."
He turns and makes it two steps before she speaks up. "I was supposed to work the closing shift today."
His boots still over the hardwood, and he turns around to tip his head curiously at her. Raven's hands are pressed against the counter, just as his were a few short moments ago, and her frown is tighter than usual.
When he doesn't say anything, she answers the silent question in his eyes. "Victor told me you'd be back this morning."
While not the sharpest tool in the shed, even Gar can thread the meaning out of that sentence. He stares for a second, surprised, before he grins, warmth curling up his chest until he's sure he's visibly blushing. Raven scoffs at his expression, but he can see the tug of her lips. She wants to smile. He wishes she would, that she didn't feel the need to reign herself in. All in good time, though. He'll get her to warm up to him, he's confident. Especially now that he knows she swapped her shift just to greet him today.
On the way out the door, he sips from the drink she silently made him when he walked in, melting upon finding it to be the mystery seasonal drink he's craved all month long. Unfortunately, it distracts him enough that he trips over the threshold, just barely saving himself and his beverage. Horrified, he glances through the glass door to see if Raven caught his slip. Her grey lips are parted around a smile, and he thinks she may even be laughing. At him, granted, but gosh. Quite suddenly, that grey lipstick is his favorite, and he thinks about that colored smile all the way home.